The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to indicating the compatibility of connectable modules for information handling systems.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems (IHSs). An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Connectable modules such as, for example, power supply units, fan systems, disk drives, optical drives, storages devices, and a variety of other connectable modules known in the art, or often connected to IHSs so as to increase the functionality of the IHSs. By “connectable”, it is meant that these modules may be easily coupled to and removed from the IHS using a variety of different quick-connect and quick-release features such as male connectors, female connectors, and/or a variety of other connectors known in the art. As such, the functionality of IHSs may be “tailored”, defined, or otherwise enabled by the user connecting such modules to IHSs.
However, conventionally, such modules may disadvantageously cause the IHSs and the user to face a variety of malfunctions and/or issues. For example, when the user would like to provide a new module with an IHS, the user generally needs to physically connect the module and the IHS via at least a connector. This can cause problems such as connector damage if the module connector on the module is not compatible with the IHS connector on the IHS. Furthermore, even if the connectors are compatible such that the module may be connected to the IHS, the user may need to wait for an operating system on the IHS to determine whether the connected module is compatible with the IHS. This is caused, at least in part, by the lack of detailed technical information being readily available for the user to check before the connecting the module to the IHS. Further still, some hardware and or software incompatibilities may not be detectable by the operating system. For example, an IHS may include a plurality of module slots that each have connectors that are configured to couple to power supplies and fan systems, but the fan systems may be designated for only certain module slots. In such a situation, the fan systems may be connectable to module slots that are designated for power supplies, which will cause airflow and thermal issues in the IHS.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a module compatibility indicator system.